Oye Owolewa
At-Large Council — Regular Election — Democratic Primary, June 16, 2026
Participating in DC Fair Elections Program ✓Oye Owolewa (age 36) was born in Boston to Nigerian immigrant parents from Kwara and Osun states. He was bullied as a child, started fights, and was suspended from school before his parents pushed him toward education. He earned a doctorate in pharmacy from Northeastern University in 2014 as the only Black man in his doctoral program. After moving to DC he volunteered in classrooms, teaching science experiments; he worked as a pharmacy manager at Safeway and pharmacist at Rite Aid before winning his first ANC race in Ward 8 in 2018 — by a single vote. Since January 2021 he has served as DC's U.S. Shadow Representative, one of the city's unpaid statehood advocates with standing in the House. In that role he has worked to intercept drugs off the streets, helped returning citizens obtain union jobs, and secured Covid vaccine access for thousands of Washingtonians — vaccinating some patients himself. He led protests against construction of a new ICE headquarters on the St. Elizabeth's campus in Ward 8. He describes DC's lack of statehood as making residents "uniquely exposed" to federal abuses and says the fight for home rule is about "survival, dignity, and real democracy." His signature legislative proposal is making UDC tuition-free for all DC residents. His platform is among the most detailed in the race, covering housing (restoring TOPA, expanding rent stabilization, social housing), healthcare (restoring Medicaid/DC Healthcare Alliance, Medicare for All vision, harm reduction for overdoses), community safety (community-first approach, removing police from schools), climate (full clean energy, Healthy Homes Act, bottle bill), workers' rights (Workers' Bill of Rights, DC Department of Labor), and senior services. He is endorsed by the Washington Teachers' Union, Sierra Club, Working Families Party, several SEIU and AFGE locals, Amalgamated Transit Union, and dozens of other labor and civic organizations.
Endorsements (28)
Labor unions
- Washington Teachers' Union
- LIUNA – Metropolitan Area of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington Laborers' District Council
- UNITE HERE! Local 25
- Unite Here! Local 23
- AFGE Local 2725
- Committee of Interns and Residents – SEIU Healthcare
- American Postal Workers Union – AFL-CIO
- Amalgamated Transit Union – ATU Local 689
- International Association of Fire Fighters – Local 36
- Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
- SEIU Local 500
Advocacy & community organizations
- Sierra Club
- Working Families Party
- DC Voters for Animals
- DC for Democracy
- Pro Animal Washington DC
- Jews United for Justice
- 314 Action
- Bike, Walk & Bus PAC
- Ghana Diaspora Public Affairs Collective
- Nigerian-American Public Affairs Committee
- We Power DC
- Teachers Unify Action Team
- DC National Organization for Women
- Capital Stonewall Democrats
- Ward 1 Democrats
- District of Columbia Latino Caucus
- DC Young Democrats
Positions on the issues
All positions are sourced directly from the candidate's campaign materials, official questionnaire responses, or verified news coverage. Stances are rated on a scale from Strongly opposes (−2) to Strongly supports (+2). A stance of Unknown means no public position has been found.
DC should restore and strengthen TOPA (the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act) to give tenants the right to purchase their building before it's sold to an outside buyer.
Pledges to 'defend and restore TOPA, including reversing recent rollbacks that stripped protections from small buildings, fully funding the First Right Purchase Program,' adding transparency requirements and penalties for bad actors.
DC should expand rent stabilization to cover more housing, including buildings constructed after 1975.
Will 'strengthen rent stabilization by reducing the maximum annual increase to the Consumer Price Index, expanding rent control to newer buildings, and funding proactive inspections.' Frames strong rent stabilization as essential to stopping displacement of long-time Black and brown residents.
DC should significantly increase the Housing Production Trust Fund.
Supports 'dedicating a significant share of the Housing Production Trust Fund to preservation, including TOPA transactions, nonprofit acquisitions, and limited-equity cooperatives that keep housing affordable long term.'
DC should adopt a social housing model — publicly owned, mixed-income housing.
Explicitly supports expanding 'social housing, community land trusts, and pathways to ownership so long-time renters can build stability and generational wealth,' and a 'Green New Deal for Social Housing' so climate investments deliver direct community benefits.
DC should build more protected bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes.
Will 'expand bus priority corridors' and 'invest in safer stations, bus stops, sidewalks, lighting, and accessibility improvements.' Endorsed by Bike, Walk & Bus PAC. Focuses on a transit-first District that centers residents over car throughput.
MPD should not assist ICE or other federal agencies in immigration enforcement operations within DC.
Will 'end all cooperation between MPD and ICE, enforce the Sanctuary Values Act, and ensure District agencies do not assist in deportations or federal immigration enforcement.' Expand sanctuary protections across schools, clinics, and shelters. Led protests against a new ICE headquarters on the St. Elizabeth's campus.
DC should expand the 'community schools' model, where schools serve as neighborhood hubs providing mental health, family support, and other services beyond education.
Will 'strengthen neighborhood schools by expanding afterschool and summer programs and investing in community schools that provide tutoring, nutrition, health care, and mental health support,' with equity-based resource distribution especially East of the River.
Every DC public school should have a dedicated behavioral health clinician on staff.
Will 'remove police from DCPS schools and invest instead in counselors, nurses, and social workers who support the whole child.' Asserts students 'deserve strong neighborhood schools with enough teachers, counselors, nurses, and mental health staff to meet their needs.'
DC should treat violence as a public health problem, investing heavily in violence interruption programs and community-based solutions.
As a pharmacist and elected official, frames violence as 'closely tied to trauma, untreated mental illness, housing instability, and lack of opportunity.' Will expand violence interruption programs, youth employment, and community-based prevention; ensure mental health emergencies are handled by trained responders rather than armed officers. At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate he called violence 'a product of a lack of investment,' described turning his own violent adolescence around through mental support, and said he works with violence-interruption groups like the Alliance of Concerned Men and invests in literacy (the Washington Literacy Center) to prevent a 'life of crime.'
Sources: [Oye Owolewa for DC Council — Campaign Website], [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
The 2024 Secure DC omnibus legislation — which increased penalties and expanded pre-trial detention — was the right approach to addressing DC's crime surge.
Will 'oppose expansions of pretrial detention, reject efforts to create new crimes or longer sentences that do not improve safety.' Frames DC's public safety crisis as the result of over-reliance on punishment — the core approach of Secure DC — rather than addressing root causes.
Hiring significantly more MPD officers is a priority for reducing crime in DC.
Says DC 'relies on public safety strategies that have failed for decades' and that 'residents fund the largest police budget in District history while the root causes of violence... go unaddressed.' Favors oversight and accountability for MPD, not expansion. At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate he defended a candidate-questionnaire proposal for a 50% cut to law enforcement, arguing DC is among the most heavily policed jurisdictions (Capitol Police, schools, universities, Secret Service) and that mandatory overtime 'bleeds our budget' on reactive spending better redirected to mental-health responders (citing the CAHOOTS model) and DPR — firmly opposing, not just declining to prioritize, more officers.
Sources: [Oye Owolewa for DC Council — Campaign Website], [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
DC should enforce a curfew for minors as a tool to reduce youth crime.
Will 'oppose youth curfews, school policing, and expanded surveillance that criminalize young people.' Calls curfews without programming investment a 'punitive approach that contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline.'
Any youth curfew must be paired with substantial investment in alternative programming — jobs, recreation centers, mental health services — for young people.
Will 'fight to expand afterschool and late night youth spaces, invest in violence interruption rooted in community trust, and fully fund youth development programs that offer paid work, career exploration, and pathways into union jobs.' Treats programming investment as the primary tool for youth safety.
DC should open safe injection sites (overdose prevention centers) where people can use drugs under medical supervision.
Explicitly calls for DC to 'confront overdoses with a true public health approach centered on harm reduction, treatment access, housing stability, and continuity of care.' As a pharmacist and public health professional, his use of 'harm reduction' as a core framing encompasses overdose prevention center models.
DC should expand subsidized childcare into a universal program — available to all DC residents regardless of income — building on the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Program (PKEEP).
Will 'fund early care and learning from birth through pre-K with stable, predictable public investment,' raise child care reimbursement rates, and 'ensure families do not spend more than ten percent of their income on child care when the Birth-to-Three Act is fully implemented.' Will fully fund and permanently protect the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.
DC should implement a comprehensive citywide rodent control program — including replacing standard trash containers with rodent-proof bins — to address the District's chronic rat infestation.
Has a dedicated platform plank on rodent control. Will 'shift the District away from poison-first rodent control and toward sanitation-first prevention,' phase out second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, 'strengthen containerization and compost infrastructure,' and require public reporting on 311 response times and enforcement.
DC should aggressively accelerate its transition to 100% renewable energy, installing solar on public buildings and investing in geothermal and other clean sources.
Will 'accelerate decarbonization, strengthen the Carbon Free DC strategy, and move the District toward full clean energy through expanded community solar, weatherization, and building retrofits.' Supports the Healthy Homes Act, protecting the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund, and transitioning low-income households to electric appliances at no cost.
DC should create a publicly owned electric utility to replace Pepco.
Supports a public power transition that 'puts affordability, reliability, and consumer protection first' as an alternative to investor-owned Pepco. Endorsed by We Power DC, the District's public-power advocacy coalition, and frames lowering utility costs through public ownership as part of his climate and affordability agenda.
DC buses should be fare-free for all riders.
Supports reducing and eliminating bus fares as part of a transit-first agenda that also expands bus priority corridors and invests in safer stations, stops, sidewalks, and accessibility. Endorsed by the Bike, Walk & Bus PAC and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU Local 689).
DC should guarantee free, high-quality child care from birth through age three — with no waitlists — for District families.
Will 'fund early care and learning from birth through pre-K with stable, predictable public investment,' raise child care reimbursement rates, fully fund the Birth-to-Three Act so families spend no more than 10% of income on care, and permanently protect the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.
DC should keep police officers out of public schools and instead invest in counselors, social workers, and mental-health staff.
Will 'remove police from DCPS schools and invest instead in counselors, nurses, and social workers who support the whole child,' and opposes 'youth curfews, school policing, and expanded surveillance that criminalize young people.'
DC should respond to Trump administration interference in city governance with an assertive, public stance — filing lawsuits, passing protective legislation, and refusing to comply with unlawful federal directives — rather than quiet diplomacy or pragmatic deal-making.
DC's elected Shadow Representative, an unpaid statehood advocate who led protests against a new ICE headquarters on the St. Elizabeth's campus. At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate he said DC must 'push back against a hostile White House' while 'push[ing] forward towards DC statehood,' and must 'use the budget to protect people' — increasing the immigration legal fund and attracting industries to rehire laid-off federal workers — because residents told him at an immigration town hall they wanted 'immigration attorneys,' not 'a council member['s] thoughts and prayers.' A strongly assertive home-rule posture.
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
DC should increase its funding for Metro (WMATA), even if it means cutting other city services.
At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate Owolewa supported proactively increasing Metro funding 'to reduce reactive costs.'
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
DC should impose a commuter tax on people who work in the District but live in Maryland or Virginia (if federal law allowed it).
At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate Owolewa said 'I will look hard at it. I'm not supportive of it right now because... our businesses are suffering,' preferring to attract tourism and rehire workers. Open to studying but currently opposed; recorded as mixed.
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
When the two conflict, DC should prioritize building more housing quickly — including market-rate — over maximizing deep-affordability requirements on each project.
At the April 28, 2026 Fair Elections Program At-Large debate Owolewa said affordability is 'absolutely number one,' to protect long-term native Washingtonians and seniors on fixed incomes from displacement. Affordability-first.
Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program At-Large primary debate (April 28, 2026)]
DC should directly intervene to eliminate food deserts — including by opening a publicly owned grocery store in underserved areas like east of the Anacostia.
Owolewa argues DC food policy has focused 'too narrowly on attracting grocery stores' and would invest directly — through the DMV Good Food Fund, food cooperatives, corner-store conversions, community gardens, and a Wards 7 and 8 food-access task force. Strongly supports city intervention against food deserts, emphasizing public and cooperative food systems over reliance on private grocers.
Sources: [Food — Oye Owolewa for DC Council]
DC should act aggressively to lower residents' electricity bills — for example by contesting or rolling back Pepco rate increases through the Public Service Commission.
Owolewa would require affordability and public-health reviews before the Public Service Commission approves any Pepco or Washington Gas rate increase, ban shutoffs for inability to pay, expand utility-debt relief, and seriously evaluate public power. Strongly supports aggressive action to lower electricity bills.
DC should create a new tax on high-revenue professional-services firms — such as law firms, lobbyists, and consultants — to raise revenue for city programs.
Owolewa explicitly supports restructuring business taxes through a Business Activity Tax so large corporations operating in DC contribute fairly, alongside a millionaires tax and higher capital-gains and mansion taxes. Strongly supports.
DC should strengthen worker protections — expanding paid family and medical leave and raising the minimum wage — even if it raises costs for employers.
Owolewa would raise the minimum wage to $20 and then $25/hour, fully implement Initiative 82, pass a Workers' Bill of Rights, strengthen paid leave and anti-wage-theft enforcement, and create a District Department of Labor. Strongly supports expanding worker protections.
DC should expand permanent supportive housing and 'Housing First' services to address homelessness, rather than relying on clearing encampments.
Owolewa explicitly champions a 'true Housing First approach' — fully funding permanent supportive housing, LRSP vouchers, and bridge housing — and opposes encampment sweeps and criminalization. Strongly supports.
DC should overhaul the IMPACT teacher-evaluation system and make the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) independent of the mayor.
Owolewa criticizes mayoral appointment of OSSE and other education leadership for limiting independent oversight and would push governance reforms to restore democratic voice and strengthen the elected State Board of Education — aligning with OSSE independence. He backs the governance half of this question; he does not specifically address the IMPACT teacher-evaluation system.
General sources
- Oye Owolewa for DC Council — Campaign Website — vote4oye.com. Accessed 2026-05-29.
- Oye Owolewa — Ballotpedia — ballotpedia.org. Accessed 2026-05-27.
- Meet the candidates for an At-Large seat on the DC Council — The 51st — The 51st. Accessed 2026-05-27.